Wright Revels in Gooding Crowd
By: Ted Harbin
GOODING, Idaho – Stetson Wright has achieved rock-star status, especially in this part of the country.
His home is in Utah, but he may as well be from southern Idaho, and the crowd reflected that Friday night at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. Before he nodded his head to start his bronc ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Owl Feathers, the electric crowd at Andy James Arena let the seven-time world champion know what it thinks of him.
“That’s one of my favorite things about rodeo,” said Wright, 24, of Milford, Utah. “When you hear your name announced and the whole arena lights up, that’s a special moment for me. It gets even better depending on the ride, it gets louder. They’re always cheering for me. I appreciate all of them.”
The fans appreciate what Wright brings to the table. He’s been the dominating presence in ProRodeo since his rookie season. He’s won four straight all-around world titles, two bull riding championships and a saddle bronc riding crown.
This year, he leads the all-around and bull riding world standings and is third in bronc riding. He has pocketed just shy of $400,000 riding bucking animals, and he’s going to add to it. While a nagging wrist injury kept him out of bull riding in Gooding, he and Owl Feathers matched moves for 84.5 points to move into a tie-for second place.
“I’ve had a wrist injury pretty much my whole career,” he said, noting that surgery a year ago repaired the ailment but that his wrist has been bothering him a bit lately. “I’d say it’s still doing good; I was having a hard time holding on to my bull rope, so I went and had it injected. I’m just taking some time off. It’s no serious injury, but I’m trying to stop what used to happen, so I’m just taking my time.”
Wright has earned nearly $225,000 riding bulls this year and holds down the lead by $26,000 over the field. He’d still like to continue to move up the money list in saddle bronc riding, and rides like he performed Friday will go a long way toward that.
“A big thing I talk to my dad about is staying healthy, because it’s a really important thing,” Wright said. “I want to win as much as I can, but my goals are far past this year. When I made a decision, it was to where it will benefit me in the long run. I want to do this until I decide I want to stop.”
He’s not only doing big things in rodeo, he’s also got big plans. He wants to be the first cowboy in more than a decade to win a ProRodeo Triple Crown, earning three Montana Silversmiths gold buckles in a single season. For Wright, that would be winning world titles in the all-around, bull riding and saddle bronc riding.
“I really want the Triple Crown,” he said. “That’s something I’ve always wanted. Each year, I feel like I’m that much closer. The last couple of years, there’s no reason I shouldn’t have won it. It’s all personal errors, nobody else’s fault but mine. When I lose, it’s my fault, and when I win, it’s everybody else that’s helped me get there.”
That’s the mindset that makes Stetson Wright a world champion in and out of the arena.
Gooding Pro Rodeo Aug. 16-19
Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Jess Pope, on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Red Beard, and Ty Pope, on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowtown, 87 points; 3. Kade Berry, 86; 4. Dean Thompson, 85; 5. Mason Clements, 84.5; 6. (tie) Leighton Berry, Kade Sonnier, Keenan Hayes and Taylor Broussard, 84.
Steer wrestling: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Stephen Culling and Walt Arnold, 3.7; 4. Tristan Martin, 3.8; 5. Levi Rudd, 3.9; 6. (tie) David Chambers and Stan Branco, 4.0; 8. Kyle Irwin, 4.1; 9. Bill Boldon, 4.2; 10. (tie) Rowdy Parrott, Tucker Allen and Gus Franzen, 4.3.
Team roping: 1. Jake Clay/Kollin VonAhn, 3.8 seconds; 2. (tie) Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins and Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 4.2; 4. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler and Pace Freed/Cole Wilson, 4.3; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Chase Tryan, 4.4; 8. Brenten Hall/Paden Bray, 4.5; 9. Wyatt Bray/Josh Patton, 4.8; 10. Coy Rahlmann/Jonathan Torres, 5.7.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Ross Griffin, 85 points on King & Wentz Blood Tracks; 2. (tie) Stetson Wright and Wade Sundell, 84.5; 4. Cash Wilson, 83; 5. K’s Thomson, 82.5; 6. Dawson Dahm, 82; Kole Ashbacher, 81.5; 8. (tie) Traylin Martin and Wyatt Casper, 80.5.
Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Addy Hill and Braylee Shepherd, 1.9 seconds; 2. Josey Murphy, 2.2; 4. (tie) Bradi Good and Hali Williams, 2.3; 6. (tie) Jill Tanner and Shelli Scrivner, 2.4; 8. (tie) Aspen Miller, Hanna Hundsdorfer, Alex Loiselle and Jordan Joe Hollabaugh, 2.5; 12. J.J. Hampton, 2.6; 13. Kassidy Dennison, 2.7; 14. (tie) Eryn Maddock, Quincy Sullivan, TiAda Gray and Cheyenne Britain, 2.8.
Tie-down roping: 1. Shane Hanchey, 7.9 seconds; 2. Cody Craig, 8.2; 3. (tie) Luke Potter and Caleb Smidt, 8.3; 5. Tuf Case, 8.4; 6. (tie) Quade Hiatt and Dylan Hancock, 8.6; 8. Zack Jongbloed, 8.8; 9. Garrett Jacobs, 8.9; 10. Jake Pratt, 9.0.
Barrel racing: 1. Dona Kay Rule, 16.76; 2. Ashley Castleberry, 16.79; 3. Sue Smith, 16.84; 4. Nicole Driggers, 16.87; 5. LaTricia Duke, 16.88; 6. Toria Madsen, 16.94; 7. Katie Joe Halbert, 16.95; 8. Meka Farr, 16.98; 9. Jennifer Kalafatic, 16.99; 10. (tie) Sara Winkelman and Molly Otto, 17.02; 12. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.07; 13. (tie) Tarryn Lee and Abby Phillips, 17.10; 15. Haylee Woodward, 17.15.
Bull riding: 1, Jeff Askey, 88,5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Burnt Oil; 2. Canyon Bass, 85.5; 3. Robbie Taylor, 85; 4. (tie) Ethan Skogquist and JaCauy Hale, 83.5; 6. Cullen Telfer, 83; 7. Roscoe Jarboe, 82.5; 8. Ky Hamilton, 78.5; 9. Dalton McCaslin, 77; 10. Jeff Bertus, 74.
Courtesy of twisTEDrodeo.com